Mizuho Cuts W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) Price Target to $67.00

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) had its price objective trimmed by Mizuho from $69.00 to $67.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on WRB. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on W.R. Berkley from $76.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $87.00 price target on shares of W.R. Berkley in a research report on Friday, November 7th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of W.R. Berkley from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $77.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price objective on shares of W.R. Berkley from $78.00 to $76.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of W.R. Berkley from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, W.R. Berkley currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $70.43.

W.R. Berkley Stock Performance

NYSE WRB opened at $68.18 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $70.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.00. The company has a market capitalization of $25.91 billion, a PE ratio of 15.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.39. W.R. Berkley has a 1 year low of $58.07 and a 1 year high of $78.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

W.R. Berkley (NYSE:WRB) last posted its earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The insurance provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.14 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.18 billion. W.R. Berkley had a net margin of 12.10% and a return on equity of 18.35%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that W.R. Berkley will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.

W.R. Berkley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were given a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. W.R. Berkley’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other W.R. Berkley news, major shareholder Sumitomo Insurance Co L. Mitsui bought 308,931 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were bought at an average price of $67.61 per share, for a total transaction of $20,886,824.91. Following the transaction, the insider owned 55,618,435 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,760,362,390.35. This trade represents a 0.56% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders purchased 6,811,847 shares of company stock valued at $468,372,975. 23.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of W.R. Berkley

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in W.R. Berkley in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new stake in shares of W.R. Berkley in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in W.R. Berkley in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in W.R. Berkley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in W.R. Berkley during the third quarter worth about $35,000. 68.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More W.R. Berkley News

Here are the key news stories impacting W.R. Berkley this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large, strategic insider purchases by Sumitomo/Mitsui — multiple disclosed buys this week totaling roughly $69M (several blocks: 370k, 350k and 308,931 shares at ~$67/share) signal confidence from a 10%+ shareholder and add short‑term buying support. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated a sub‑30% expense‑ratio target, flagged increased technology investments and announced ~$971M returned to shareholders (buybacks/dividends) — supports EPS leverage and capital return upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary on record investment income and buybacks has prompted debate that stronger profitability plus buybacks could materially change the investment case for WRB. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results: a very small EPS miss ($1.13 vs. $1.14 consensus) and revenue roughly in line — removes shock but leaves little positive surprise in the quarter; investors will watch guidance and underwriting trends. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Several sell‑side firms cut price targets (Jefferies to $70, Mizuho to $67, Wells Fargo to $66, Bank of America trimmed expectations) — signals limited near‑term upside and likely keeps downward pressure on the multiple. Read More. Read More. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts note solid underwriting but slowing growth and valuation concerns; the narrow EPS miss plus flat revenue keep upside constrained and justify mid‑$60s targets. Read More.

W.R. Berkley Company Profile

W. R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE: WRB) is a publicly traded insurance holding company that underwrites and sells commercial property and casualty insurance, specialty insurance products, and reinsurance. Headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, the company operates a portfolio of underwriting businesses that focus on niche and specialty commercial risks, offering coverage tailored to industries such as transportation, construction, professional services and other commercial lines.

The company’s product mix includes primary and excess casualty, property, professional liability, environmental and other specialty lines, together with treaty and facultative reinsurance solutions.